Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington will be suspended for the entire 2014 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, announced by the NFL Friday.

What does this mean from an IDP perspective?

WHO BENEFITS: Kevin Minter & Larry Foote

Washington led the team in tackles in 2011 and 2012, even more impressive in only 12 games last season, he was third on the team with 81 tackles (59 solo), 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. While that’s all well and good, neither Minter or Foote can be expected to reach the 130+ tackle plateau that Washington attained in 2012 but there is certainly value to be had in both players. Larry Alexander is in the mix but is returning from a Lisfranc Injury and while there still is time to add a veteran like Ernie Sims or Pat Angerer, Minter and Foote appear to be the frontrunners.

ILB KEVIN MINTER
6′ 0″ / 246lbs
Dec 3, 1990 / 23

Minter is now in his second season out of LSU where he was a very productive backer, famously racking up 19 tackles in the 2012 Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Clemson in his last collegiate game. The downside is that Minter barely touched the field as a rookie last season with only four solo tackles to his name and it is asking an awful lot of a savvy IDP owner to draft an unproven player with big expectations too high but Minter’s clear upside will warrant a certain ADP.

Projection: 90-100 total tackles w/ a few big plays sprinkled in and very little sack production.

STATS

Solos

Assists

Sacks

2013

4

0

0.0

2014

82

19

0.5

ILB LARRY FOOTE
6′ 1″ / 239lbs
Jun 12, 1980 / 33

Foote will be 34 at the start of the season and is coming off a biceps tear but he can at least provide some experience and could still be an asset on early downs. He is an afterthought currently so he should be had at an extremely value but is nothing more than a redraft option for late rounds with little to no dynasty value.

Projection: 50+ total tackles with limited snaps and very little big play opportunities.

STATS

Solos

Assists

Sacks

2013

5

3

0.0

2014

41

12

1.5

DARYL WASHINGTON GOING FORWARD

Washington’s suspension, a result of marijuana, begins immediately and places him one more positive test away from a lifetime ban. Daryl Washington missed four games last season for a previous violation and he also was facing another potential suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after he was arrested in May 2013 on two counts of aggravated assault after a confrontation with his ex-girlfriend.

He pleaded guilty to those charges in March and was sentenced to one year of supervised probation in April but his biggest worry might not be more action by the NFL, instead backlash from his own organization.

“It’s completely unacceptable that Daryl has once again put us in this position,” Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said in a statement. “We all know what the consequences are and will deal with them. As it pertains to our team, our approach is the same as it’s always been: next man up,” Keim said in the release; “… One player’s absence is another’s opportunity.”

Bottom Line: In March, Arizona exercised a $10 million option to keep Washington on the roster with knowledge of his transgressions, he received $5 million then and the deals calls for him to get the other $5 million in March of 2015. That date will be a very telling and significant juncture for the value of his dynasty stock going forward, as the team will likely pay the option out to keep Washington’s talent on the team but the option will be a huge risk for both the Cardinals and IDP owners alike. This is a huge hit to his keeper value and is definitely a career setback but the former all-star is still only 27 years old and a come back is certainly not out of the question.

Projection/Value: A potential 100+ tackle producer with big play capabilities in 2015 and on but his redraft value is dead, making him the fantasy football equivalent to a paper weight in 2014. He is worth buying extremely low for a rebuilding dynasty team, as his price tag is currently at a bargain basement value. Washington is a high risk/reward type of commodity but is definitely worth the investment, just remain attentive to the buyer beware credo.

The Dallas Cowboys fear star linebacker Sean Lee tore his left ACL during the team’s first organized workout Tuesday according to DallasNews.com. Lee appeared to be slipping while being blocked by rookie right guard Zack Martin on a screen pass. Lee remained on the ground and needed to be helped to the locker room by members of the training staff after screaming some expletives.

Lee is currently undergoing an MRI to see the extent of the injury but has a very checkered injury history, as he tore his right ACL in April 2008 while at Penn State, then partially tore his left ACL during the 2009 season. Lee missed two games as a rookie in 2010 with a hamstring injury and one game in 2011 with a dislocated wrist, playing most of that season wearing a cast. Toe surgery forced him to miss 10 games in 2012. Lee missed five games last season with hamstring and neck injuries.

“I don’t really know what happened,” said Zach Martin, the Cowboys’ first-round pick. “Two guys playing hard, running to the ball. We’ll see what happens. … Hope for the best. He’s obviously a great player, leader of the defense.”

Lee led the team in tackles in 2011 despite the wrist injury then finished fourth on the team in 2012 with 77 despite playing in only six games. He also led the Cowboys in interceptions last season with four.

IDP OUTLOOK: The Cowboys could potentially be without their best defensive player for the entire season, which is bad news for their bottom line but very good news for Bruce Carter owners and anybody willing to take a chance on Justin Durant or Davonte Holloman. Dallas will more than likely look to free agency to shore up the position, which should include workouts for guys like Johnathan Vilma, Pat Angerer and Dan Connor as early as Friday. This could be horrific news for Sean Lee dynasty owners so stay tuned here for a status update on the former Nittany Lion.

The Ravens have their first-round pick, CJ Mosley, under contract according to BaltimoreRavens.com.

The 17th overall pick signed his deal today and is already working at finding his place in the Ravens’ defense. Head coach John Harbaugh said after seeing Mosley at the Ravens’ rookie minicamp that Mosley looks ready to start as a rookie.

“Probably the first impression is that he seems very comfortable in a defense. He understands the game very well. So, he’s been really well-coached, obviously,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like he doesn’t know what gap he is fitting in. It’s not like he doesn’t know what adjustment to make. That’s a long way ahead for a rookie.”

IDP OUTLOOK: The Ravens have a small Crimson Tide contingent on defense now with Terrence Cody, Courtney Upshaw and Mosely on the roster. The rookie will initially play behind veteran Daryl Smith in sub-packages and battle Arthur Brown for snaps in run situations in more of the base regular alignments. While CJ Mosely’s redraft value is more of a linebacker three or four, his upside is even greater than Arthur Brown’s going forward and Mosely has all the makings of being the Raven’s every snap backer that will stuff the stat sheet for years to come. Signing early is a positive indication that Mosely could have a chance to contribute even more than expected in year one.

Dolphins second year defensive end Dion Jordan looks like “he took an air pump and plugged it into his arms and shoulders this off-season” as he bulked up to over 265 pounds, according to Armando Salgero of the Miami Herald.

The former Oregon standout played at 248 pounds last season and admitted that he felt too light to do the job the Dolphins were asking him to do. “I was definitely too light to go out there against some of those offensive tackles,” Jordan said. “This year I had the opportunity to have an off-season where I can take care of my body. I’m trying to move forward and continue to try to better myself in a few areas.”

IDP OUTLOOK: The most interesting tidbit from this beat report is that Jordan and the rest of the defensive line spent initial sessions working with all-pro Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor on technique and scheme. Coupled with his weight gain and refined approach, Jordan could be poised for a breakout season playing opposite Cam Wake but he will still need to beat out Olivier Vernon who came into his own with 57 tackles and 10 sacks last season.

The Detroit Lions have signed strong safety James Ihedigbo to a two-year contract according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

He’s coming off a career-year where he posted 101 tackles, 11 passes defensed, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. He finished second on the team in tackles to linebacker Daryl Smith and recorded the first three interceptions of his eight year career last season. Ihedigbo has 244 career tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three interceptions for his career.

The newly signed Lion took to twitter to announce the move Monday night:

Ihedigbo was an undrafted free agent out of UMass in 2007 and signed with the New York Jets. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve (arm) and was a reserve safety and key special teams contributor for the Jets from 2008-10. He then joined the New England Patriots, starting 12 games in 2011. The Patriots re-signed him for 2012, but he was a late preseason cut, which led him to sign with the Ravens.

The Ravens opted not to re-sign the 30-year-old Ihedigbo, instead signing the injury-prone former Ram Darian Stewart to fill the void, which made the veteran available for a Detroit coaching staff that is very familiar with the former Raven. Lions’ head coach Jim Caldwell and Loins’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin were both on the Ravens’ coaching staff the past two seasons in Baltimore.

IDP OUTLOOK: Ihedigbo will enter the starting lineup next to Glover Quin on the back end of the Lions’ defense and it will more than likely be as the strong safety with his reputation as a big hitter and special teams standout. Quin will play more of the center fielder role with Ihedigbo occupying most of his time within the vicinity of the tackle box, making him the more ideal fantasy option of the two. While Ihedigbo was a #1 safety option last year, there is no guarantee that he will replicate his 2013 stats but there is a good shot of him getting close to his 100 tackle total which makes him a solid bet as a backup safety or DB #3 in your deeper leagues.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington pleaded guilty on Monday to his aggravated assault charge from last May and he will be sentenced Wednesday April 23 according to the Maricopa County Superior Court.

The Cardinals recently paid Washington a $10 million option bonus March 13th even after his transgressions and the fifth year player will be under contract through 2017.

Washington will be leaned on heavily after inside linebacker Karlos Dansby left the desert for Cleveland and while he is more than capable, his only issue has been staying out of trouble.

IDP OUTLOOK: IDP owners remember that Washington was suspended four games to open the 2013 season for substance abuse violations and it appears that the former TCU standout could be headed toward even more discipline from the watchful eye of Roger Goodell. Even with the potential of a multiple game absence, Washington still projects as a linebacker #1 for the last 12 or so games of the season and that makes him worthy of being one of the first 25 IDP players off the board. He posted 75 total tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, a recovered fumble and 10 passes defended in only 12 games of action last year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and former Buffalo Bills linebacker Arthur Moats have agreed to terms on a 1-year contract according to PROFOOTBALLTALK.com.

Moats started 12 games as an inside linebacker in Mike Pettine’s odd front last season and has the versatility needed to play either inside or outside in the Steelers’ version of the 3-4 defense but also brings a lot of special teams experience to the table.

The 26-year-old Moats entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick of the Bills in 2010 out of James Madison University and has played in 59 games over his four years in the league recording 141 combined tackles (80 solo, 61 assists), 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.

IDP OUTLOOK: While he may be best known as the player who ended Brett Favre’s streak of 297 consecutive games played, he could factor in as a downhill run stuffing inside linebacker in situational packages for Dick Lebeau. Ultimately this is a blow to the already tenuous dynasty stock of Vince Williams, as Moats trumps him in experience and special teams value. Meanwhile, Lawrence Timmons remains status quo as the three down linebacker to own from a fantasy perspective.